Chapter 3

Gracelyn POV:

The biting wind whipped around me, chilling my skin to the bone. My teeth chattered, a relentless rhythm against the chaotic symphony of New York City. Barefoot, in just a slip, I was a ghost in the vibrant, unforgiving metropolis, my desperate flight from Chace' s penthouse etching itself into my memory with every agonizing step. The designer coat he' d flung at my feet, the jewels I' d discarded, they lay forgotten, as did any last shred of hope for our twisted love.

I stumbled past brightly lit storefronts and bustling bars, but the warmth and laughter inside seemed to belong to another dimension. My breath plumed before me, fragile and fleeting, just like everything I had believed about my life with Chace. I saw him in the rearview mirror of a passing cab, his arm draped around Celina Mcneil, their faces illuminated by the flash of paparazzi. They were laughing, their intertwined fingers a stark contrast to my shivering, solitary form. The sight was a fresh stab to my still-bleeding heart. I was invisible to him, already erased.

Eventually, the adrenaline that had fueled my escape began to wane, replaced by an overwhelming exhaustion. My legs buckled, and I collapsed onto a cold, unforgiving bench in a dimly lit park. The snow, recently fallen, was melting into a slushy mess, soaking through my thin slip. I curled into a fetal position, shivering uncontrollably, tears freezing on my cheeks. I had nothing. No home, no money, just the tattered remnants of a broken heart.

My hand instinctively went to my neck, where the locket used to be. The one he' d given me, the one I' d hurled at him in my rage. It was gone. Everything was gone. My past, my present, my future. It felt like I was shedding not just clothing, but an entire identity, leaving it on the cold, unforgiving streets of a city that had once promised me everything.

My eyes fell on a worn, leather-bound journal tucked deep inside my bag. It was a gift from my childhood friend, Kristian Ross, years ago, when we were still in the group home. He'd told me to write down my dreams, to never forget them. Now, it felt like a mocking reminder of a girl who dared to dream. I ripped out a page, uncapped a pen, and meticulously wrote down Chace's last words to me: "Everything you own, the clothes on your back, the roof over your head, it's all because of me. My charity." I then drew a line through his name and across the entire page, a symbolic severing of ties. The page wasn't enough. I couldn't simply erase him. I needed to burn it all.

A faint glimmer caught my eye. My last twenty-dollar bill, tucked away in a hidden pocket. It was all I had left. With a heavy sigh, I pushed myself up, my muscles screaming in protest. A small, nondescript ramen shop caught my attention, its flickering neon sign a beacon in the cold night. Warmth. Food. I needed to survive.

I ordered the cheapest bowl, savoring every spoonful of the rich, savory broth. It was a meager comfort, but it was something. I finished it, feeling a tiny spark of warmth return to my core. Outside, the city roared on, indifferent to my plight. I felt a profound sense of isolation, but also a nascent flicker of determination. I wouldn't let him break me. Not completely.

When I stepped back out into the cold, the wind seemed to bite even harder. I hugged myself, trying to conserve what little body heat I had. The thought of finding shelter, any shelter, became paramount. I wandered aimlessly for what felt like hours, my mind a blank slate of despair, until I spotted a 24-hour diner, its lights a welcoming glow.

I slipped inside, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, and found a booth in the back corner. The warmth was a blessing, a temporary reprieve from the gnawing cold. I ordered a cheap cup of coffee, nursing it in my trembling hands, hoping the caffeine would keep me awake and alert. I couldn't risk falling asleep in public, not like this.

Days bled into each other. I survived on stale pastries from a dumpster behind a bakery, the kindness of a street vendor who gave me a free hot dog, and the brutal reality of sleepless nights on park benches, covered by discarded newspapers. The shame was a constant companion, a heavy cloak draped over my shoulders.

Chace was nowhere to be found. No calls, no messages, no frantic search parties. It was as if I had vanished, and he hadn't noticed, or hadn't cared. Meanwhile, the tabloids were ablaze with pictures of Chace and Celina, their public displays of affection growing more extravagant with each passing day. A red carpet event, a charity ball, a romantic dinner for two. They were everywhere, their smiling faces a cruel mockery of my hidden pain.

I saw a photo of them at a charity gala, Celina in a shimmering gown, her hand possessively intertwined with Chace' s. His eyes, once full of a secret tenderness for me, now radiated a polished charm directed solely at her. It was as if our five years, our secret vows, our shared dreams, had been meticulously scrubbed from his memory. He had moved on, seamlessly, publicly, leaving me to rot in the shadows he had created.

The realization hit me with the force of a physical blow. He hadn't just forgotten me; he had actively erased me. He no longer cared about my existence, my suffering. I was a casualty in his game, a statistic in his climb to power. The numbness I had felt began to crack, replaced by a cold, searing anger.

Then, a headline screamed at me from a newsstand: "BENTLEY HEIR'S ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT IMMINENT!" My blood ran cold. Imminent. This wasn't a "facade" anymore. This was real. He was going to marry her. He was going to make her Mrs. Bentley, while I, his secret wife, was nothing but a ghost.

Another article, a gossip column, caught my eye. "The Bentley Stalker: Where Is She Now?" It was accompanied by a grainy, unflattering picture of me from the night of my arrest. The comments section, which I foolishly scrolled through, was a cesspool of hate. "Good riddance to bad rubbish." "She got what she deserved." "Probably crying in a gutter somewhere." "Serves her right for trying to trap a billionaire."

My fingers trembled as I read the venomous words. The public, fueled by Chace's PR team and Celina's willing participation, truly believed I was a delusional, opportunistic stalker. My identity, my dignity, had been systematically stripped away, leaving me exposed and vulnerable. The humiliation was unbearable, a burning fire in my stomach.

I closed my eyes, tears finally falling freely, hot against my cold cheeks. I had believed his lies for so long. I had sacrificed everything for a love that was nothing but a cage, meticulously crafted by the man who claimed to protect me. But I wasn't going to be a victim anymore. I wouldn't drown in this despair. I would fight. I would reclaim my name, my story, my life.

I pulled out the crumpled twenty-dollar bill from my pocket. It was a meager sum, but it was mine. I would use it as a starting point. I would find a way to prove my existence, to prove my marriage to Chace Bentley. I was his wife, and I would make sure the world knew it. He might have thrown me away, but I wouldn't stay discarded. I would rise from the ashes of his betrayal.

My phone, a cheap burner I'd bought with some of the last cash I had, buzzed unexpectedly. A message from an unknown number. My heart leaped, then sank. It couldn't be Chace. Not now. Not after all this. I opened it, my hand shaking.

It was a picture. A picture of me, shivering and disheveled on the park bench, taken days ago. Below it, a single word: "Gracelyn?" And then, moments later, another message, "Are you okay? I've been looking for you."

My breath hitched. The number. It was familiar, yet new. I knew that voice, that concern. It was Kristian. Kristian Ross. My childhood friend. The cinnamon roll, the protector I hadn' t seen in years. He was the only one who had ever truly seen me, truly cared. A flicker of warmth, tentative but real, ignited in my frozen heart. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn't entirely alone.